Silicon and silicones

By Simon Cotton2007-07-01T00:00:00

Source: Statu-nascendi/iStock

Simon Cotton takes a look at those compounds that find themselves in the news or relate to our everyday lives

Weren't these responsible for contaminating petrol supplies recently?

It was probably silicones.

Arent they the same as silicon?

No, silicon is an element, a grey semi-metal belonging to Group 14 of the Periodic Table. Identified by Antoine Lavoisier in 1787, the element was first isolated in 1823 by Jöns Berzelius.

So what are silicones?

Simon Cotton explains

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